Is there a NG sound in don't?

Question

Hi,The [n] in don't and loan is so different to me. The N in loan sounds like a true [n], but in don't, the N sounds like ng (in sing). If I add a T to loan and say loant*, it doesn't rhyme with don't.  I asked the native speakers. But they said there was no NG sound in don't.In order to request the native speakers to listen if there is a difference between don't and loan, I made a video clip and uploaded it to Youtube. It lasts 16 seconds. In it I put don't and loan consecutively in normal speed and in slower speed. Here is the address: Can you listen to the two words and then tell me if there is a NG sound in don't please? Thanks a lot.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

You are right. The gal saying "don't" has a strong regional accent of some kind. She sounds like a Berkeley sophomore from Reseda who has never been anywhere majoring in political science or something. Do not use her as a model for your own speech.

Anonymous · Answer

I'm a native English speaker in the US, and I agree with you that there is a "different" sound to the n in don't and the n in loan. But these two n's are actually the same sound, both "true" n's, as you call it. Furthermore, the n in sing is also the same sound, a "true" n. It's just that this ng combination is given a special symbol in dictionaries, merely for convenience, since it appears so often in English words.

The reason the n in don't and sing sounds "different" from the n in loan is the consonant paired with n, t and g, respectively. This paired consonant forces a slurring of the n sound with that consonant sound, creating a "different" n sound in don't and sing. Take away the t and g from don't and sing, and you have the words don and sin, both of which have the "true" n sound.

Is there a NG sound in don't?

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